Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1930)

jr^rw«jy%Kft^Y 1930 surfaces we have. The shape of the reflector should be such that it will most efficiently illuminate the desired area. The shape of the reflector is highly important and only recently have we had available reflectors scientifically designed for the greatest reflecting power. For interior work only panchromatic film should be considered. Not only has it increased sensitivity when used with in candescent lights or "panchromatic carbons" but it also is quite necessary to bring out the tonal gradation without which no photograph may be considered good. Due to the lighting used, ord i n a r y orthochromatic film is inclined to give harsh results. When working in interiors we naturally will not include the great area common to outdoor work. In fact, too much detail in an interior set detracts from its effectiveness. The value of simplicity, so wellknown to artists, is very clearly illustrated under such conditions. The first step, therefore, is to choose an area of action as small as is compatible with the work to be done. When the area has been determined, the lamps are set so as to illuminate this area in the most satisfactory manner. The physical law of illumination should be borne in mind, that is, that the intensity of the illumination varies inversely with the square of the distance between the light and the subject. If a light is moved from four to eight feet from the subject, the illumination received by the subject is only one-fourth instead of one-half. For this reason it is advisable to work with the lights as close to the subject as is convenient. In arranging the set the ordinary room lights should be left burning and, as a matter of fact, they should be allowed to remain on throughout all of the work. While they have a most insignificant actinic effect, they do serve to add a trifle to the general diffused illumination which helps to overcome the harshness incident to working with artificial light. While the art of lighting seems rather complex, in its essence it involves but two basic principles, first, the direction from which the light strikes the subject and, second, the quality of the light. While an intelligent use of these two principles must be made, in combination, they will here be considered separately for clarity. Light quality may be described as Fhotograpli By Mrs. Fred Waller QUALITY IN LIGHTING This Beautiful Study Is An Example Of Rim Lighting On The Left Of The Figure And Of Forty-Five Degree Back Lighting From Above And To The Right. of two general kinds, soft, hard and, of course, their intermediates. Hard lighting is the result of an unrelieved direct illumination which generally casts black shadows which have no detail in them. Hard lighting should not be confused with its variant, flat lighting, which is generally a hard lighting but distinguishable by absence of shadows. Soft lighting is produced when the shadows are apparent but not sharply defined. Detail in the shadows also marks the soft lighting effect. Silk diffusers may be used to produce soft lighting but their employment will necessitate a slight increase in exposure. Use before the lens of various types of diffusers, now commercially available, will do much to lighten up the hard shadows. The fact that the amount and extent of shadow depends on the direction from which the light emanates gives us a clue to the interdependence between light quality and light direction. Basic light directions are front, side, back and combinations. For example, if a comparatively powerful light is placed on one side of the subject and, upon the other side, a light of approximately half the intensity, an effect results which is somewhat flat but which gives certain appearance of solidity because of its modeling and separation of planes. This is plain forty-five degree lighting. It is often used but can be commended to all beginners in interior work. A very good arrangement for plain forty-five degree front lighting consists of a bank of three 500watt high pressure T-20's placed at a general angle of forty-five degrees from the subject, that is, halfway between the front and one side and at a considerable height above the subject's head. This will cause rather heavy shadows which are lightened by the use of a reflector but, if another 500-watt lamp is available, it may be placed in front of the subject at the side opposite from that occupied by the principal light and at a height from the floor equal to about one-half the height of the lens of the camera. This lamp should be placed as least twice as far from the subject as the bank of three. Another example of the connection between light direction and quality is the harsh lighting which results from a deliberate arrangement in which all of the light comes from one side of the subject and the cast shadows are allowed to remain harsh and black. In fact, harsh lighting may even go so far as to have the background very dimly illuminated so that the figures stand out in bold relief. Not only are the various types of lighting useful in securing pictorial effects but each one has a very distinct psychological effect which may be used to heighten the general effect of the subject being photographed. Ambitious amateurs will find it possible to introduce many original lightings which include those from unusual angles and the use of symbolic cast shadows. Effect lighting demands a very definite artistic appreciation and a knowledge of the general art of lighting but when properly used there is nothing of greater value in building up the proper emotional reaction on the part of the audience. With the equipment set and ready for work, we come to the final problem involved, that of exposure. There is one rule followed by many workers which is to use your largest aperture with all the lights that you have. This is a good rule in some cases but, certainly, if an /:1.5 lens is used, the maximum light should be considered to consist of four 500-watt T-20's for a space approximately ten feet wide, six feet deep and eight feet high. If the house wiring will stand a drain of thirty (Continued on page 57) 16